2nd Lifetime OVI / DUI Charge Reduced to Reckless Operation

A promising law student, about to graduate, was driving home one evening when he was pulled over for a moving violation by an Ohio Highway Patrol trooper. After the trooper ran his license, the trooper discovered that the young man had a prior OVI / DUI conviction.

Upon greeting him at the vehicle, the trooper detected an odor of alcohol, inquired whether he had been drinking and whether he wanted to submit to the roadside field sobriety tests. He performed one of the field sobriety tests. He then asked if he needed to take the next test and he was placed under arrest and charged with 2nd Lifetime OVI / DUI. His case was then scheduled for arraignment in Franklin County Municipal Court.

The charges could not have come at a worse time for this young man. About to graduate law school and start studying for the bar exam, this charge and potential conviction had the potential to derail his legal career before it had even begun. Additionally, if convicted, the young man would have to serve a mandatory minimum 3 days in jail. As you can imagine, all of this weighed very heavily on him. Being a law school student, he was used to researching and began researching Columbus OVI / DUI attorneys. He spoke with a number of them, including attorney Ben Luftman. After speaking with attorney Luftman, the Columbus Criminal Defense team was hired to represent him on a case that could alter his life.

Columbus drunk driving attorney Dan Sabol represented our client as well on his case. After reviewing both the police reports and DVD, and attending multiple court dates, attorney Sabol was able to convince the prosecutor to reduce the OVI / DUI charge to a lesser Reckless Operation offense. The reckless operation charge is a non-alcohol related traffic offense. It carries no mandatory jail time. After also reviewing the police reports and DVD, our client advised us that he wished to accept the deal attorney Sabol had negotiated on his behalf.

This resolution allowed our client to stay out of jail and keep an additional OVI / DUI conviction off of his criminal background, which gives him a significantly better chance to sit for the bar exam and further his career as an attorney.